Medical Student Clerkship in Neurology

The Neurology Clerkship at the University of Michigan Medical School is a required
4-week experience in the third year. The goal is to teach students the principles and skills underlying the
recognition and management of the neurologic diseases that a general medical practitioner is most likely to
encounter in practice. Further discussion of the core curriculum of the Neurology Clerkship is available
on the American Academy of Neurology web site [PDF].

Clerkship Objectives:

A. Knowledge

Recognition of which symptoms and signs suggest neurologic disease.

Ability to localize the region (or regions) in the nervous system where malfunction could
produce a given constellation of symptoms and signs.

Ability to generate a differential diagnosis for a given constellation of symptoms and signs.

Ability to decide which diagnostic tests will narrow the differential.

Familiarity with the clinical features of the most commonly encountered neurologic conditions:

cerebrovascular disease

seizures

headaches

back pain

incontinence

visual symptoms

disequilibrium

dementia

movement disorders

neuromuscular disease

acute mental status changes

B. Skills

Ability to elicit historical information relevant to a patient's symptoms to
identify and characterize neurologic disease.

Ability to perform a neurologic examination and to identify significant abnormalities.

Ability to deliver a concise, logically organized and complete presentation (both oral and written)
of a patient's history and physical, with a discussion of localization, differential diagnosis,
diagnostic plan and treatment plan.

C. Procedures

Ability to perform a lumbar puncture and interpret the results.

How students will be evaluated to ensure that each objective is met:

Performance in informal ward setting (evaluation form to be completed by resident)

Performance in formal teaching sessions (evaluation form to be completed by faculty)

Faculty rating of oral and written presentations (evaluation form to be completed by faculty)

Performance on written exam(s)

Methods to be used in student evaluation:

Observation of performance by faculty

Observation of performance by house officers

Logbook entries

Assessment of write-ups/reports

Written/oral tests

Where to report first day of clerkship

On the first day of your Neurology Clerkship, please report to the DeJong Library - 1912 Taubman Center -
at 7:45 a.m. for your orientation session.

Directions: Go to the 1st floor of the Taubman Center building,
and enter Neurology Clinic "C." Go through the waiting area and through the long hallway lined with department
photos until the hallway dead-ends at a hallway where there is a sign that says "Department of Neurology" and lists
faculty names. Turn right and pass the hallway immediately on your left. The department library is Room 1912,
the third door on your left (a sign is next to the door).

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